Titans’ Jurrell Casey embraces new defensive plan

Casey Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey now has nine sacks tying him for the league-lead among defensive tackles with Jason Hatcher of Dallas. Itâ??s the most by a tackle for this franchise since 1993
AP Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey watches from the sideline in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)(Photo: Wade Payne, AP)

News that the Titans were switching to a 3-4 defensive alignment was received with a sense of dark foreboding by Jurrell Casey.

As an interior defensive lineman, Casey knows what the classic 3-4 means to those in his position: engaging blockers, eating up space and generally tying up the interference so linebackers can make plays.

Casey feared he would be relegated to grunt-work football, forfeiting his ability to penetrate into the backfield and create havoc.

“That was the biggest concern from the get-go,” he said.

His concerns were well founded. At 6-foot-1 and 305 pounds, Casey worried he might be cast in the role played so well for so long by Casey Hampton in Pittsburgh.

For 12 seasons, Hampton policed the interior of the Steelers’ 3-4 defense. He never had more than 27 tackles or 2½ sacks in a season (Casey had 49 tackles and 10½ sacks for the Titans last year), but Hampton occupied so many blockers that his teammates made big plays repeatedly.

“That’s sort of what I had in mind,” Casey said.

But a crash course in new Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s 3-4 system has eased those fears. Horton runs a hybrid scheme that creates one-on-one matchups that play to Casey’s strengths. Fears that he would be little more than a magnet for blockers were allayed.

“What I thought it was going to be – it’s nothing like that,” Casey said. “You’re not standing there taking on blockers. You’re striking and shedding players and getting to the ball. …

“It’s not the traditional 3-4 where you’re playing a two-gap scheme. It’s still one-gap football.”

To clarify: The term “one-gap football” refers to a defensive player’s immediate responsibility when the ball is snapped. He is takes on the blocker in front of him and is in charge of defending that gap before pursuing the ball.

“Play your gap and beat the guy in front of you,” Casey said. “You don’t really worry about too much else. … It’s still football. You go out there and compete.”

And it’s about time the Titans competed on defense. This unit needed a fresh start. Things had grown stale. Bringing in Gregg Williams last year to provide new ideas to Jerry Gray’s defense was a plus but the basic system still left much to be desired.

“It’s exciting because you’ve got change,” Casey said. “Change is always great. We’re going to play something new. As a team, I just thought it was time for something new.

“We’ve been doing the same old thing and it hasn’t been working. To get something new out here – let’s try it out. Why not? We really can’t do worse than what we’ve been doing.”

While Horton’s system is rooted in the scheme he learned while coaching the secondary for the Steelers in 2004-10, he has added his own touches in stops as defensive coordinator in Arizona and Cleveland over the past three seasons. Those who thought the Titans were too vanilla or not aggressive enough under the previous regime will like Horton’s approach.

“It’s a mentality,” said safety Bernard Pollard. “We’re going to attack you. We’re going to go out there and dominate. … We’re going to get the job done. If you’re not going to help us get the job done, get out of the way.”

Casey’s take: “Get off on the ball, hit a person in the mouth and get after the quarterback. Keep the offense on their toes. They never know what’s going to hit ’em.”

Sounds like a plan. A new plan.

David Climer’s columns appear on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Monday. Reach him at 615-259-8020 or on Twitter @DavidClimer.